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Ontario Liberal leadership candidates need to answer key questions

Ontario’s Liberal party leadership contenders are spending a lot of time talking about “renewal.” But any candidate who wants to be more than a passing premier must prepare Ontario for a challenging future and, most importantly, regain the public’s trust.

Two men check job postings at a Service Canada centre in Toronto. Ontario's unemployment rate is 8.3 per cent and many new jobs are just part time. (Oct. 9, 2009)

Published on Fri Nov 30 2012

Ontario’s Liberal party leadership contenders are spending a lot of time talking about “renewal.” But any candidate who wants to be more than a passing premier must prepare Ontario for a challenging future and, most importantly, regain the public’s trust.

The key issues facing the province are well known: a weak economy, massive deficit, strained health-care system and destructive gridlock in the economic hub around Greater Toronto.

Added to those troubles is the mixed legacy of Premier Dalton McGuinty, whose many achievements are clouded by the mess at ORNGE, costly power-plant cancellations and the eHealth fiasco. Scandals like these have left Ontarians with a political hangover that a new leader must forcefully address if the Liberals want to remain in power. Otherwise, PC Leader Tim Hudak has a slice-and-dice governance plan he wants to sell you.

The tough question is which of the seven candidates can build on McGuinty’s record while distancing the party from its tarnished reputation. With just eight weeks (minus a holiday break) until a new leader is chosen, Liberals should be seeking a boss who can give the party a distinct new identity. The winner must offer clear, innovative ideas, not fervent platitudes (“Jobs! Jobs! Jobs!”)

This race is an opportunity to give fellow Liberals — and all Ontarians — specific details on what we can expect from a revitalized government. Time is wasting, so here are some key questions:

• Ontario’s economy is stumbling, so how will you get our groove back? Top economists like Don Drummond predict economic growth will stagnate at 2 per cent. It’s a daunting forecast. McGuinty has done good work by investing in education for skilled workers and trying to create a green economy but Ontario needs more investment to grow jobs, especially with a high dollar.

With an unemployment rate at 8.3 per cent, many new jobs are just part time, leaving too many workers trapped in a low-income ghetto. Companies are hoarding cash because of lingering uncertainty. How do you propose to get that money out of corporate saving accounts and into productive use?

• How will you wrestle down Ontario’s $15-billion deficit with a minimum of collateral damage — especially to education and health? The new premier will have to perform the delicate dance of respect and restraint with unions. But he or she will also have to ensure that salaries and benefits stay in line with these fiscally tight times. It’s not easy to get compensation cuts from powerful unions. Teachers are already furious over Bill 115, which freezes wages, cuts sick benefits and curbs bargaining rights.

More labour unrest is on the way. And given the high level of political savvy among union leaders, there’s no doubt they will have a sizable say in the leadership race. So when candidates like Kathleen Wynne and Gerard Kennedy promise to mend labour relations, they need to explain how. And all candidates need to spell out where they stand on the deficit. Will you stick to the government plan of balancing the budget by 2017-18? If not, what is your plan?

• How can Ontario restructure its health-care system? With an aging demographic and fewer young workers paying taxes, Ontario needs to reshape its $46-billion health budget to give the best care for the buck. The new leader must make tough decisions or health care will consume money needed for education and other services.

A good start would be proactive care to stop health problems before they become seriously expensive. Community care could eliminate costly hospital visits. Depending on where you live in Ontario, there still isn’t enough home care, especially to keep seniors out of nursing homes. How will you keep costs down while giving an aging society the medical care it needs?

• Gridlock threatens to strangle the heart of the economy. It costs the GTA roughly $6 billion in lost productivity, and its impact is just as destructive in our daily lives. The region is home to one of North America’s largest economic hubs and longest commute times. Road tolls and congestion fees are used around the world to solve congestion — it’s time they are seriously considered here. But transit development is stymied by a tangle of jurisdictions and agencies, with an appalling leadership vacuum. Are you willing to take charge and create a solution?

We’re waiting for big, bold ideas from the seven Liberal candidates, one of whom will ultimately ask for our trust in leading Canada’s most powerful province. It’s time to step up. Show us what you’ve got.

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